The Blind Date: Chapter 1

Lucy entered the Fairy Tail guild headquarters together with her two partners, Natsu and Happy. The trio had just finished a job and actually got their reward since this time Natsu hadn't run wild and destroyed everything within a ten-mile radius of him. "We're back!" Natsu announced with a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Welcome back!" Mirajane smiled pleasantly at them from the counter as she dried some glasses. A chorus of "Oh, Natsu you're back!" and "Hey there, Lucy" and "Did you destroy everything again?" erupted as the guild members welcomed them home warmly.

"Finally, I can pay my rent!" Lucy exclaimed with a grin. "If only you could be this well-behaved on our other jobs," she added.

"What do you mean? I always get the job done, don't I?" Natsu scoffed.

"Well yeah, but you always manage to destroy the entire town so we always end up using our reward money to pay for the damages!"

"But we always get the job done, right?" he grinned.

"That's not my point!"

"Yeah, whatever. We got our pay this time, so stop complaining. I'm beat, and I'm hungry. Mira!" he yelled, "Is there any food?"

"Aye! Fish please!" Happy chimed in.

"Sure thing, you two," Mirajane nodded, before getting back to her work.

"You two…" Lucy groaned. "Well, I'm going to go home and take a bath first. See you!" With a wave at her partners, she happily made her way out of the guildhall, already anticipating the warm, bubble bath awaiting her at home.

A few minutes later, Mirajane came back with two piping hot bowls of ramen for Natsu and some grilled fish for Happy. The two wolfed down their food hungrily as they always did, resembling starved animals in the jungle. "You have an especially large appetite today, don't you?" Mirajane chuckled.

"We wanted to stop by for some food before coming back, but Lucy was whining about being dirty and sticky and she wanted to go back home for a bath first, so we ended up coming back hungry," the pink-haired boy grumbled as he chewed on a generous portion of chicken meat.

"My, my, you two make such a lovely couple!" Mirajane suddenly said, clasping her hands together and smiling dreamily.

Natsu nearly choked on the meat. "What?"

"You and Lucy look great together! Aren't you two dating yet?"

"Not this again…"

Happy was no help. "They lllllike each other!"

"I knew it!" the silver-haired woman cried.

"No! Happy, quit kidding around!"

"But when the Vulcan looked like it was going to just touch Lucy, you went crazy and started beating it till it was half-dead," the blue cat continued as he ate his delicious fish.

"And, there was the time Lucy was crying so hard, none of us could comfort her, except for you; the second she saw you she went to you and cried in your arms, remember?" Macao added. Apparently the conversation was spreading to everyone in the guild. Now different ones were crowding around the table, joining in with Mirajane.

"Man! Saving Lucy is Man!" Elfman shouted with zest.

"What does that even mean?" Natsu muttered.

"I hear you're always in Lucy's house; the best way to find you is to head over there," Erza said with a nod of the head.

"Her bed is comfy, that's all there is to it," Natsu huffed. He wasn't even in the mood to eat anymore.

"You sleep in her bed? Is she in bed when you do?" Wakaba asked in excitement.

"No, she always kicks me off the minute she sees me there…"

"So you would sleep in bed with her if you could?" Happy asked.

"No!"

"What about the time you frolicked with her in the nude?" Gray said nonchalantly.

Everyone else was stunned, with some of the more perverted men close to getting nosebleeds. "N-Natsu… You really did?"

"Were her boobs soft?"

"How big was her butt?"

"Did you two really do it?"

"NO!" the poor boy's face was extremely red now, from embarrassment. That memory was still stuck in his mind. "Where did you even get that from?!"

"Virgo told Juvia and I everything after we got back from Crocus," Gray shrugged.

"Lucy had her clothes disappear because of the Jade Dragon, Zirconis," Wendy said shyly, "and then when she was flung away I think she rammed into Natsu who was in the middle of fighting Future Rogue."

"Natsu, you lucky chap!" Wakaba smirked.

"Nothing weird happened between us! Lucy and I are just best partners, that's all we are!" Natsu retorted.

"Oh, really? I think you two make a good match though," Mirajane said.

"I agree," came Erza's reply.

"Man!" Elfman shouted, which probably meant he agreed too.

Slowly murmurs and shouts of agreements spread throughout the guild, everyone congratulating Natsu, which only made him even more confused; he wasn't like that with Lucy at all! What was their deal? "I'm leaving," he muttered under his breath, picking up his stuff and heading out the guild.

"Natsu, wait for me!" Happy shouted after him as he hastily placed the remaining two grilled fishes in his bag pack before flying out after Natsu.

"Still as dense as ever," Erza sighed, shaking her head.

"Poor Lucy, I think she likes him, you know," Mirajane said.

"Maybe when she gets back to the guild we should ask her," Levy suggested. She had just come back from a job too and had gone around asking what all the fuss was about.

"Or, we could do away with waiting and just look for her." Cana was gulping down a large mug of beer and now she had a sinister look on her face. "Come on, let's go!"

Lucy Heartifilia was in pure bliss. Her lavender bubble bath smelled heavenly, and soaking in the warm water helped to work out the kinks in her tight muscles. After being well pruned, she exited the bubble bath and dried herself off, when she heard some noises coming from her room. Immediately she felt her blood pressure rise and she hastily wrapped her towel around her naked body before stomping out of the toilet and into her room. "Natsu! What did I tell you about going into my room without permission?" she shouted, until she laid her eyes on the group of girls lounging in her room. They were most definitely not Natsu.

"Lucy, I see you're finally out," Erza said, as she lay on the bed with her arms crossed behind her head.

Cana, Levy, Mirajane, Wendy and Carla were also in her room. Cana was as always, drinking beer—Lucy hardly ever saw her do anything else—Wendy was sitting on the floor with Carla chatting with Mirajane, and Levy was at her desk, reading a certain set of papers that Lucy had sworn she'd locked up safely in her bottom drawer.

"Levy! Don't read those!" Lucy screeched, lunging over to grab the papers out of the blue-haired girl's hands. Levy ducked the papers away just in time. "No way! This story is really good! I want to read more!"

Lucy fought the blush that was rising on her cheeks. "It's not… that… I'm not done with it yet…"

"Well, finish it soon, please? I want to know what happens next!"

"O-Okay… Sure…"

"Thanks Lucy! You're the best!" Levy gave her a big hug, which she returned half-heartedly. Was it some kind of guild trend to pay uninvited visits to her house as and when they liked? Stupid Natsu… this all started because of him.

"So… what are you guys doing here?" Lucy asked awkwardly.

"We wanted to ask you something," Mirajane said. "It's about Natsu."

Lucy frowned. "Is it about me and him again? I've told you, Natsu and I are just partners, that's all!"

"Oh really?" Erza smirked. "You thought it was Natsu the minute you heard some noise in your room."

"Isn't it normal? He always comes over uninvited!" Lucy huffed.

"Yeah, but, you came out only with a towel wrapped around yourself," Cana said with a wider smirk on her face. "Had naughty thoughts in the shower, did we now…"

The blonde's cheeks flamed. "I thought no such thing! I just… I just wanted to get him out of the room as soon as possible, so I didn't have time to put on my clothes! Ah, wait here, I'll go and change first."

Then she went back to the toilet to quickly change into a black tee and pink yoga pants before going back into the room where everyone was awaiting her eagerly. Lucy groaned inwardly. What was with them today?

Plopping down on the floor, she asked, "So, are you guys here just to ask me about my relationship with Natsu?"

"More or less," Carla replied.

"What do you want to know? We're just friends, nothing more, I've said this countless times already," Lucy sighed.

"Is he really just a friend to you?" Mirajane asked.

"Well, yeah…"

"He must be really close to you, huh? That time you were crying so hard and no one could comfort you except for him," Cana slyly said.

"That was because…" That was because it had felt so natural, to go straight into Natsu's arms; she felt safe with him, but that was perfectly normal, they spent so much time together it was normal for her to feel more comfortable around him.

"And the other time you frolicked with him in the nude—"

Lucy's jaw hit the ground as she felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "W-Where did you get that from?!"

"Gray said Virgo was telling him and Juvia all about it after leaving Crocus," the young dragon slayer said.

"T-That was a mistake! It was an accident! That stupid Jade dragon made my clothes disappear and I accidentally knocked into him!"

"I'm betting you two did some things after that…" Cana chimed. "So, tell us all about it."

"Nothing happened!" Other than the part where the idiot groped my breasts, she thought to herself darkly.

"Are you sure?" Levy pressed cheekily.

"Yes, I'm sure. Natsu's a dense goofball and he knows close to nothing about romance, there's no way I'm dating him, ever."

"He sure knows perfectly well how to comfort you, though," Carla added.

"It's normal. We're just close friends. It's like you and Wendy; just because you two are close friends doesn't mean you're actually dating or anything right?"

Wendy blushed at the mere imagination of it. "B-But Carla's a cat! And she's a girl!"

"I was just making an analogy, Wendy," the blonde chuckled.

"I guess we aren't getting anything out of her," Erza sighed. "Well then, I sincerely wish the two of you the best."

"We aren't anything of the sort!" Lucy protested.

"You can't be sure, you know. The future is quite an unpredictable thing," Mirajane winked. "But, I know of a way to help you find your future soul mate."

Lucy's brown eyes widened. "How?"

"Have you heard of Hera, the most well-known matchmaker in Fiore?"

"I think so… What about her?"

"She's here in Magnolia for a month, and she's accepting requests for blind dates! You know that every couple she match-makes ends up getting married and living together in bliss for the rest of their lives, right? She's never wrong!"

"I'm eighteen, I'm not looking to marry so early."

"But, don't you want to know who your soul mate is? It might be Natsu, for all you know," Mirajane chuckled.

"Natsu isn't my soul mate!"

"How would you know?" Cana asked.

"Maybe, if you go to Hera you might know who it is, then the guild would stop bothering you and Natsu about dating—that is, if Hera doesn't end up match making you both," Levy added cheekily.

"Hmm… that's actually worth a shot…" As long as these people stop bugging the two of us to date, this should be worth it. The guild members had long started shipping the two of them, which was a pain in the butt because they were clearly just friends, though everyone else seemed to think otherwise, for some strange reason. Maybe going to this supposedly accurate matchmaker would put an end to their misery for good.

"All right, I think I'll give it a shot."

The girls all let out a big cheer. "I'm looking forward to it!" Wendy grinned.

"I'll come with you!" Levy offered.

"My money is on Natsu," Cana said, gulping down her beer.

"I do hope it is Natsu," Erza said, and Mirajane agreed heartily.

"You just asked me this four hours ago!" Natsu grumbled at the male guild members who were currently circling him. He and Happy had been looking at some job requests after going home to find that their food money was running alarmingly low, until they—or more specifically, Natsu—got manhandled and forced into one of the seats by the guys.

"So, you're really not into Lucy?" Gray asked, ignoring his rival's protests.

Natsu glared at him. "Do you listen when people talk, Ice Pants? I don't like Lucy that way!"

"But you always get on edge when someone says they want to hurt her," Romeo pointed out, earning approving nods from everyone.

"Of course I'll kick the ass of whoever thinks about hurting her! She's my partner, right? I would murder anyone who tries to lay hands on any of my friends, actually," he frowned.

"Well, yeah, but you get especially uptight over her," the young boy pressed.

Natsu scratched his head. "Really? Maybe it's because we're closer friends, then."

"Just friends, huh?" Gajeel said from where he was chewing on some iron nails. "You sure don't act that way."

"You looking for a fight, Gajeel?" Natsu threatened, cracking his knuckles.

"Bring it on, fire face."

Natsu jumped up and was ready to pounce on the iron dragon slayer when Elfman grabbed him by the shirt and forced him back into his seat. "We're not finished with you yet."

"What else is there to ask?" Natsu groaned tiredly. He really was sick of everyone coming after him and Lucy. Didn't they tire of asking them this almost every single time they laughed at something together or starting arguing or did practically anything together?

"Why won't you consider making a move on Lucy?" Gray asked seriously.

"Maybe it's because he can't carry Lucy because she's too heavy," Happy mused.

"She's heavy, but I'm strong enough to carry her!"

"How do you know? You've carried her before?"

"There was the time she grabbed him and made him piggy-back her to the toilet while we were training for the Grand Magic Games," Jet said.

"Not bad, Natsu. You're finally growing up," Macao smirked.

"I was forced to! Lucy was drunk and if I didn't she'd have peed all over the floor!"

"She was drunk?" Wakaba spluttered as the provocative image of a very drunk Lucy appeared in his perverted mind. "Did you two do… you know… do anything—"

"NO! Nothing like that happened!" Natsu yelled, face turning a few shades redder.

"Seriously, just ask her out. You obviously like her," Gajeel chimed.

"Like you're one to talk, Gajeel. You haven't asked Levy out yet," Gray retorted, which made Gajeel fall silent immediately and go back to chewing on his metal snacks.

Natsu hadn't heard them. "Lucy and I? That's just… weird. We're both partners, we do jobs together, is all. Sides', her kind of guy is all sparkly sparkly and bling bling and white and shining and all that stuff." The others shot him puzzled looks, and he shrugged. "I didn't understand whatever she was telling me, either. Anyway, would you guys stop bugging me about this already? It's annoying," he huffed.

"We're pretty sure Lucy is your soul mate though," Macao grinned. "And we ain't stopping until you get her to date you."

"She isn't my soul mate!"

"How do you know that?"

"That… I… I'm not going to date Lucy!"

"You never know for sure," Laxus suddenly said. Everyone jumped at the sudden appearance of the thunder dragon slayer. He was sitting a ways from them, but had clearly been listening in on the conversation. "I heard Hera, Fiore's top-notch matchmaker is in Magnolia. Her calculations are never wrong," he continued.

"What does that have to do with me?" Natsu frowned.

"If you want us to stop bothering you, then just go to Hera and find out who your real soul mate is. That way everyone will just shut up and move on with their lives."

"I'm not interested in getting married now," the pink-haired boy muttered.

"You're eighteen, you'll think about mating sooner or later. Just go so they'll stop pestering you already, unless Lucy really does turn out to be your soul mate," Laxus said.

"She is not!"

Natsu pondered over this for a moment. True, this would probably get them off his back for good, and Lucy's too. "So, what's the decision, Flame Brain?" Gray asked.

"Fine… I'll go to this Henry person…"

"It's Hera," Laxus corrected with a sigh.

"Aye sir! I'll go with you too!" Happy said.

"Let's go, Happy! We'll prove to these bastards that Lucy and I are not soul mates!"

In a flash the two had bolted out of the guild, slamming the doors close behind them quite carelessly. "My money's on Lucy," Bickslow said after a while.

"Same here," Freed nodded.

All of the men in the guild wordlessly nodded in silent agreement.

A/N: Yay you got to the end of the first chapter haha :D Hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading and if you don't mind, spare just a couple of seconds to type out a short review to tell me what you think? I love hearing from you guys!

Oh, and if you know me from my Spirited Away fanfics, I know I said I wouldn't be updating or writing until after 15 October, but as you know, I tend to write most when I'm at my busiest for some strange reason haha. Don't worry, this will not affect my other updates too much because I'm thinking of doing up some pre-written chapters for the others after my exams end :)

That's all from me and yeaps seeya soon~ God bless!